Chain tongs



'W. E. FAHRNER.

CHAIN TONGS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1920.

1,355,597, Patented 0@t.12,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I Im/'enfor' W. E. FAHRNER.

CHAIN TONGS.

APPLICATION FILED MMI. 29, 1920.

vPatented Oct. 12, 1920.

WILLIAME. FAHRNER, OF MGKITTRICK, MISSOURI.

CHAIN TONGS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 12, 1920.

Application led March 29, 1920. SerialiNo. 369,696. Y

T all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, VLLLAM E. F AHRNER, a citizen of the United States residing at McKittrick, in the county of Montgomery and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chain Tongs, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof; Y

The present invention is directed to improvements in chain tongs, and particularly to what are known as back-up tongs employed in connection with the screwing and unscrewing of the pipe sections composing the tube used in well boring, said back-up tongs being employed for turning one section or a series of united sections while another section (the top one) is held against rrotation by what is known as the breaking out tongs, the one being complementary to the other. Theobject sought by the invention is to provide a tongs of the character referred to which shall insure a tight and positive grip on the tool-joint terminating the section of the tube to be turned, thereby preventing any slippage of said section during the withdrawal of the tube from the well. A further object is'toprovide the tongs with a movable releasing, chain-securing and tightening block whereby upon the conclusion of any operation the tongs mayV be instantly released'from the tool-joint (or pipe) about which the chain is passed, such release being effected withoutvdisturbing the support to which the handle of the tongs is connected during the turning of the'pipe to which the tongs are applied. A further object is to provide a pair of tongs which are simple in construction, positive in action, strong, and durable, and one possessing further and other advantages better apparent from the following detailed'description inv connection with theaccompanying drawings in which- Figure l represents. a topplan' of improved tongs applied to a section of tube to be'turned'; Fig. 2 is a side view of the tongs; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectio'nftaken midway between the jaws, parts being .einV

elevation; lig.` 4 is a perspective showing one side of the releaseblock; Fig. ,5, is a perspective showing the opposite side'ofthe release blockg'Fig. 6 is a top plan showing the application of the tongs Ain connection with a drilling outiit;'Fig. 7 is a side elevaseries Aof ribs 7' to lighten the body, the

faces of the body at the ribbed end beingV recessed to a depth represented by the o sets or shoulders a, for the accommodation of the gripping jaws 8, 3, the jaws being serrated on both edges so that as one ofthe edges becomes dull, the jaws may be reversed and use made of the serrations on the opposite edges. The inner faces of the jaws are provided with centrally disposed strips or cleats 4e received by corresponding grooves 7L formed for their reception in the tongs'body, the grooves being open at their outer ends to receive the strips, whereby a tongue and groove connection results between the parts, the strips being inserted into the grooves through the free ends of the latter and pushed back until arrested by the shoulders nj When the jaws are slipped into position they arethen firmly secured by the bolts 5, 5', 5, one of the as an anchor for one end of the tongs chain' 6. The side of the tongs body opposite the ribbed portion is vformed with a longitudinally disposed recess or cavity't substantially oblong in cross-section, the ends of the cavity being open, and the bottom of the cavity being disposed in a plane substantially on 'a line with the innerV longitudinal edge of the handle 2 (Fig. 3). The cavity t receives the'release block V7 above referred to forming a housing therefor, said block being free'to slide between the side walls or cheeks of the cavity in a direction parallel'to the axis of the handle, and terminating at its free end'in a pair of hooks 8 which, when the parts are assembled, project laterally from between the bases of the jaws 3 (Fig. l)-l or Vsuiiicientlyto permit securing thereto the vfreepend yof the link chainV 6 after the latter has been passed around The block 7 is provided adjacent its hook Vend with a longitudinal transverseslot' u the bolt 5 freely traversing said slot when the block is moved to either tighten orv j 5)' formed in the back of the block 7, when the block has been drawn its full extent into the cavity t. The back of the block 7 is provided with female thread formations w (one of the terminal ends of which communicates with the socket s) meshing with `the threads LU of the screw '9 whereby, with a vturning of the screw in either direction the block '7 is caused toslide in itscavity the direction of the sliding movement depending `on the direction in which the screw 9 is turned. The end ofthe screw opposite that resting Vin thev Vsocket s -projects through an opening in the end wall a2, of the cavity't adjacent the handle 2, the project;v Aing terminal of Vthe screw being coupled in any mechanical manner to an extension or rod 9 disposed parallel to the handle,'the

outer end of the rod passing loosely through and being supported by a bracket l0 formed with a loop e passed over the end of the handle 2 projecting beyond the hollowT postbracket 11 into which the handle is inserted when the tongs are used as back-up tongs in well drilling, the bracket llunder the circumstances being mounted on top of a, post 12 leading from the power table P well understood in the art. The bracket 10 is setscrewe'd to the endof the handle 'as shown,rthe end of the rod 9 projecting through' and beyond the bracket being provided with AahandA wheel Vl/V for turning the rod'9 and vhence the screw 9. Obviously,

but it is more convenient to make the screw of two pieces. The rod 9 is preferably provided withf'a collar 13 just behind the bracket 10 to prevent longitudinal displacement of Athe member 9-` especially where lsuch member is merely coupledto the screw 9V by a socket o passed overv the outer 'square orvr Vpolygonal end of the screw. The free end of the chain 6 terminates in crossfpinsl 72 adapted to be passedl behindithe hooksS of the release block, the fixed end of fthe.

chain being securedfas shown to the bolt 51', or, where the pipe over which the chain is to be l passed is unusually large, a special bolt 5 nearer Vthe, handle is provided, to

, whichV the fixed end of thev chain maybe secured. It will be seen from the drawings'V A (Fig. 3) that the opening in the end wall of the housing through whichV the stem `while the release block (operating as av nut) confined between said wall and the opposite end of the housing so that the screw is held against longitudinal displacement is free to move longitudinally in either direction. Preferably, the hooks 8 of the release block whichY receive the pins p of the chain are formed with outer side cheeks c to preventaccidental Vlateral displacement of the pins once the same are passed behind the hooks. Y Y

The operation will be readily understood from Figs. 6 and 7 where vthe tongs are applied to a drilling outfit.v Assuming a section of the drilling tube-t0 have been hoist` ed from the 4well above the ground, suitable provision isr made in the forml of a breaking out7 tongs T to hold the upper pipe section A stationary, said section'terminating at the bottom in the male tool-joint member m which isv screwed into the female member m of the "pipe 4section below, lthe tongs T gripping the member fm and thus holding the top pipe section against rotation as well understeodin the art. At the e same time the female tool-joint member m' of the bottom pipe section A to be unscrewed is gripped between. thefjaws 3 and chain 6l of thev back-up tongs, the latter supported from the post l2 projecting from Vthe power table P being driven around in proper directiongto unscrew the tool-joint member m from the member m Yand thus permit the top pipe section A to be removed.y Obvi-` ously, in tighteningthe chain 6 about the member -mf the operator couplesthe Vfree end of the chain to the hooksS of theblock 7, then tightens the chainby turning theV screw 9 in proper direction to cause the block to pull on the chain.V To, loosen the chain the screw 9 is turned in the opposite Y Y v z direction so as to force'theblock'outwardlyf the partsk 9, 9, might be made of one piece,

when the chain may be slipped ofll the hooks 8 andthen applied to the next pipe section until `all the sectionsof the drilling tubeV Y are unscrewed from'oneanother. The tongs as constructed are especially y adapted' for use in connection with a drilling outfit and could not=conveniently be used as an ordinary pipe tongs. Obviously,.the details may` be changed in many particulars .without a Y invention'f v v 'Having4 described my invention what I claimis:V a Y. f1; Ina tongsrof the characteridescribed, a body portion,` a pair of gripping jaws carriedr'thereby'and spaced apart, a slidingV departure from theV nature or spirit" of the block mounted on thefbodyl and operating to andv from the jaws, a cavity or housing being formed in the body for the reception lof the a threaded stem or screw mounted in the housing, the end of the latter adjacent the jaws terminating in a semicylindrical socket for receiving the adjacent terminal of the screw stem, the back of the block being formed with female thread formations for receiving the threads of the screw, means for preventing longitudinal displacement of the screw, a flexible cable or chain having one end secured to the body, means for securing the loose portion of the chain to the sliding block, and means for actuating the screw from a point outside the housing aforesaid.

2. In a chain tongs, a body, a handle therefor at one end, a pair of gripping jaws spaced apart at the opposite end, a chain secured at one end to the body and coperating with the jaws for gripping the object to be seized, the body being provided with a longitudinally disposed cavity or housing open at both ends one end communicating with the space between the jaws, a release block in said cavity movable to and from the jaws and terminating at one end in outwardly turned hooks projecting out from between the bases of the jaws, means on the loose end of the chain for coupling the latter to the hooks, a screw mounted behind the block at the bottom of the housing for actuating the block to and from the jaws, the housing terminating at its inner end in a socket for receiving the adjacent end 0In the stem of the screw, the opposite end of the stem projecting through the wall of the housing between which and the socket aforesaid the enlarged threaded portion of the screw is confined, an extension leading from the projecting end of the screw stem in substantial parallelism with the handle, means on the handle for supporting the outer end of said extension, and means on the eXtension beyond said supporting means for actuating the extension and the screw, and thereby imparting movement to the release block in either direction.

3. In a tongs of the character described, a body portion, a pair of serrated gripping jaws secured thereto and spaced apart, the serrations on the jaws being disposed on opposite edges whereby either side of the jaw may serve for gripping purposes, a chain secured at one end to the body and free to be swung in a plane between the jaws, a reciprocable release block operating in a plane between the jaws and terminating at one end in laterally projecting hooks securable to the loose end of the chain, an actuating screw for the release block, interposed between the block and body of the tongs, and means for operating the screw from a point outside the body of the tongs.

4. In a chain tongs of the character described, a body portion provided with a pair of jaws spaced apart, the body of the tongs being provided with a cavity leading to the space between the jaws, a chain-anchor bolt atthe base of the jaws on the side opposite from the cavity, a second bolt at the base of the jaws contiguous to one end of the cavity, an operating screw leading from the opposite end of the cavity, av release block in the cavity actuated bythe screw, the block being provided with a slot to allow for the free play therethrough of the second mentioned bolt, and means for operating the screw from a point outside the cavity aforesaid.

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAMb E. FAHRNER.

Vitnesses:

EMIL STAREK, C. H. CALLON. 

